I've got an idea on how to build a forge (charcoal or coal) and figured this would be the right place to post it and see if anybody could tell me if it was good or not before I spent any time constructing it.
I've got an old disc (as in implement) that 32" in diameter, about 7/16" thick in the center, and the depth is about 4 3/4". I was going to weld on a 3 short pieces of pipe into which I would insert the legs. And use some flexible exhaust pipe or whatever I could find laying around in a T formation with a hairdryer to supply the airflow and a can on the bottom to catch the ash. I got the idea from an issue of The Backwoodsman I was browsing through where they described this setup but with a brake drum. I thought I had an old brake drum lying around, but lacking that I remembered this big old disc I had. I've a piece of heavy expanded metal I figured I could lay in the bottom to keep the fuel off the bottom and allow the air to circulate.
My questions are is the depth going to be enough? And should I plug the 6 smaller holes around the large on in the center I was going to use to blow the air in or should I leave them open? I figured if I got really inventive I could fit piping to all the little holes as well as the big one and have a larger hot spot to heat up bigger projects.
Thanks for any help.
